Review: Challenging A Society That Has Become Accustomed To A Fear Of Terrorism, OSAMA THE HERO Reminds Us Facts Are Important And Vigilante Justice Is Unjustified

27th January 2017, 8pm, The Kings Cross Theatre (KXT)

Dennis Kelly's work with a confronting title, OSAMA THE HERO is presented with a raw honesty under the direction of Richard Hilliar at Kings Cross Theatre. First presented in its entirety in London in 2005, this work is still as relevant over a decade later on the other side of the world in Sydney.

Set in one of London's concrete council housing estates where neighbours spy on each other and it is considered a luxury to be able to secure a garage space, OSAMA THE HERO looks at the lives of 5 residents and their relationship with the national fear of terrorism, the irrationality of rash judgements and suspicion of guilt without evidence and their general dissatisfaction with their lower class lives. Kelly's work is confusing to follow, particularly with regards to the third act but Director Richard Hilliar makes the most of the challenge with the use of Sian James Holland's lighting design.

Production Designer Courtney Westbrook has transformed the intimate space of Kings Cross Theatre, which has the audience flanking the centre stage, into a grimy housing estate garage with piles of junk littering the concrete floor. Whilst this setting particularly suits the second act, Hilliar's direction and Kelly's text enable the audience to understand that twenty something siblings Francis (Tel Benjamin) and Louise (Nicole Wineberg) are arguing in their apartment while Louise prepares for work, 50 year old Mark (Lynden Jones) and 16 year old Mandy (Poppy Lynch) are acting out a fantasy of upper class celebrities in Mark's garage and 17 year old Gary (Joshua McElroy) is preparing his school report whilst talking to anyone who will listen, in this case, direct to the audience. For the first and third acts, Hilliar has the individual stories unfold amongst each, highlighting the confusion of multiple sources of information and distraction that occurs in real life.

Benjamin and Wineberg anchor the setting of the work as the siblings that have lived in the council housing all their lives with their consistent speech patterns and accents, worked on with accent and vocal coach Amy Hume. Benjamin captures the essence of the British angry young man that has a violence and physicality borne out of a lack of hope and belief that he could change his situation, which his sister is attempting to do as she prepares to go to work. The duo express the volatile relationship but also exhibit the love that they have for each other and the fact that each will do whatever it takes to protect the other and their community as they spy on their neighbours. In the second act, Wineberg ensures that Louise's character becomes clearer and her prejudice comes through as she is the leader of the lynch mob whilst Benjamin shows the cracks in Francis' tough demeanour as he becomes reticent to carry out his sister's demands.

As youngster Gary, McElroy conveys that the social misfit, who possibly has a touch of a learning difficulty, is actually quite intelligent if socially inept. He presents Gary's passionate argument for believing in the world's most hated extremist with a sincerity that does challenge the audience to revaluate the strength of Bin Laden's strategy and conviction, ignoring the destruction he caused. Kelly has presented a plausible argument for Gary to revere Bin Laden which makes it understandable why young disenfranchised youth can get drawn into the terrorists cause. McElroy presents Gary with a balance between this admiration and a geeky awkwardness that indicates he really is innocuous. He conveys Gary's fear in the second act, where he spends most of the time muted by duct tape, is expressed with an honest, realistic physicality that conveys the boy's fear at the hands of his vigilante neighbours.

As Mark, the 50 year old wannabe food snob that has a perverted fantasy relationship with schoolgirl Mandy as he escapes from his stale marriage, Jones creates an amusing caricature of a well-heeled horny socialite with a young trophy wife and an honest expression of a pathetic, bored husband. His best moments however are in his third act monologue where Jones lights up as he captures Mark's passion for food and his desire to be seen as trendy with an honesty and relatability in the familiarity of the character.

Between Kelly's writing, Hilliar's direction and Westbrook's design, Mandy is the hardest of the five characters to follow as the transition from the Act one to Act two makes it hard to determine whether Lynch is doubling roles or is Mandy all along. Lynch has a precision in vocals and physicality as a stuck up gold digging trophy wife talking to her adoring viewers whilst sat next to a man that repulses her. When she reverts to Mandy's true self, a 16 year old school girl, Lynch gives the girl a simplicity with a possible developmental delay with a mental age much younger than her mid-teens, most prominently shown in Act three, which is probably the reason why Mandy has agreed to Mark's farce and, according to him, follows him around.

OSAMA THE HERO is a relevant, realistic expression of what is going on in society. Whist over a decade old, recent events in Australia have shown that the fear and vigilantly behaviour still exists well after Bin Laden has been disposed of because other terrorist groups still threaten peace and safety. This is a confronting work, in the content, the language, the brutal physicality and the reality and asks the audience to challenge their response to limited information and its propensity to consider someone guilty without evidence and is relevant viewing for everyone.

OSAMA THE HERO

The Kings Cross Theatre

21 January - 4th February 2017

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